David Pogrebin has been named the general manager at the Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Marlin Bar in NYC.
From his years of experience in the East Side to SoHo and all the way to the Bahamas, Pogrebin has honed his skills as a restaurateur at some of the most renowned dining establishments in New York City and beyond.
Pogrebin developed a passion for food at an early age, drawing influence from his parents’ kitchen and the broad range of cuisines that he, like many native New Yorkers, was exposed to as a child. His first summer job at Tavern on the Green prefaced his schooling at the Culinary Institute of America, during which he met his mentor and future associate, Chef Daniel Boulud. After stints both in the kitchen and managing at famed Le Cirque and landmark Café des Artistes, Pogrebin assisted Boulud as the opening operations manager at the original Restaurant Daniel on East 76th Street.
Following a successful year launching Restaurant Daniel, Pogrebin took on a general manager’s position at Geraldine Ferraro and John Zaccaro’s Cascabel in SoHo with Chef Tom Valenti. Here Pogrebin handled all areas of running a busy SoHo restaurant, including assembling an award-winning wine list and earning top accolades from New York Times critic Ruth Reichl, who listed Cascabel as one of her top 10 new restaurants that year.
Pogrebin next took on the role of maître d’hôtel at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous restaurant, Jean Georges. Here he took care of everyone from A-list celebrities to world leaders to tourists and foodies of every stripe. Three years later, Pogrebin brought New York City standards to the Bahamas to become the general manager at Jean-Georges’ Dune at the exclusive five-star resort One & Only Ocean Club.
Upon his return to the United States, Pogrebin became the general manager at Lincoln Center area staple Picholine, Chef Terrance Brennan’s flagship French restaurant, where he honed his skills in a busy pre-theatre and destination dining environment. Pogrebin then took a position with the Patina Restaurant Group as the general manager of the renowned dining institution, Brasserie. After five years at Brasserie, Pogrebin was selected by Marcus Samuelsson to preside over the energetic evenings with eclectic clientele that characterize Red Rooster Harlem, where he later successfully opened up Ginny’s Supper Club on the lower level of Red Rooster
